Bulk material removed from the bottom of bodies of water generally has water content exceeding 80 percent. The bulk material frequently carries with it gross or oversize organic material such as telephone poles, rotted pilings, abandoned and sunken vessels, metallic materials such as anchors, engine blocks, transmissions and nonmetallic material such as concrete blocks and portions of demolished structures.
At present the major disposal route for such dredged detritus is by truck to a nearby, or not so nearby, landfill. Such landfill disposal entails the considerable costs of transportation and tipping without the prospect of any economic return. However, there is a substantial and growing need for materials which can be employed for the reconstruction of abandoned mines and areas subject to erosion by wind or water. To effectively employ the dredge detritus for this purpose it must first be conditioned for transportation by forming a first mixture, then it must be conditioned for the final application by forming a second mixture.